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Thread on sports and politics: the teams I love: Braves, Bulldogs, Falcons and NASCAR have been there for me literally my entire life. The first time my fam could afford anything: a Braves game in early 90s against the Expos. We lost badly, but it hooked me and I got to watch
The greatest era of Braves ball in front of a tube TV console in our 1966 single wide... poor, smiling and proud. I watched @DeionSanders play for both the birds and the Braves while his antics made headlines. I grew up hearing the stories of how @HerschelWalker was a gladiator
We spent every Saturday night at the local dirt track helping my youngest uncle win in his late model with worn out equipment and less horsepower, but all the talent he needed then are breakfast at my Nanny and Papaw’s on Sunday before glueing ourselves to a @NASCAR race
Praying the hometown hero @BillElliott9 could outrun the Intimidator one more time before he hung it up (and b4 @RayEvernham revived him... enemy to ally!)
We loved the two David Dawgs! @davidpollack47 and Greene. We adored our 4 aces and the rookie phenom @RealCJ10 We did the dirty bird in 98/99, we watched every 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🟩" title="Grünes Quadrat" aria-label="Emoji: Grünes Quadrat">-> https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏁" title="Karierte Flagge" aria-label="Emoji: Karierte Flagge"> lap.
On my first deployment in Iraq in 07 the pics of my Dawgs dancing in the endzone in j’ville kept me going! Recovering at Walter Reed in 2011 after losing my legs I saw my @Braves & @FreddieFreeman5 win in person for the first time (11-2 over @Nationals)
And after befriending @KurtBusch I watched him win his first Daytona 500 on a @Delta home from a tough trip. Sports aren’t politics, but they’re people. Athletes come and go, but a connection to a team or sport is a birthright.
The legacy of my sports memories are mine. They’re prized possessions in my mind and something I can be proud of as a true Georgian. We can’t let ourselves hate one another over disagreements, so why hate a team/sport you’d otherwise love over a knee, t-shirt or individual?
I’ll speak out when I think they’re misguided or even tone deaf to us... their fans, but I’ll watch them, celebrate with them and be their fan. Not because any one of them deserves my unwavering loyalty, but because no one gets to take something I love from me.
I write all of this to simply say that my sports teams have been there for me when I needed them, and although I disagree with a lot of the politics coming from sports, I don’t need to agree with someone to be their friend so why should I forfeit my passions for the same reason?
Baseball, Football and stock car racing are uniquely American, just like protesting and defending freedom. To the fans feeling offended or left out, hang in there... because when the politics change, the touchdowns and home runs will still be there
